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Seyi - Accounting and Finance

In her second year at UWE Bristol, Seyi Suberu took a
placement with General Electric (GE). Securing a graduate training
scheme with them meant that she could concentrate on her studies in
her third year — putting everything she’d learned in practice and
achieving a 1:1.

Learning by example

"The most effective part of the teaching BA(Hons)
Accounting and Finance course was the context given to each
subject. It was mainly case studies — relevant examples of things
that had actually happened in the industry. They were a really
vivid illustration of how issues in areas such as auditing had
affected high-profile companies, why these things should have been
picked up, and how we could apply the learnings in our own
practices.

"The most challenging part was managing my studies and fitting
in a part-time job to pay the bills. I remember struggling in my
first year to get the balance right: going to lectures, studying,
and then heading off to work, but once I found my rhythm it was
fine."

A strong support system

"My lecturers were very understanding if I had to work late, and
they even helped me rearrange my lectures to find a timetable which
worked for me — and one-on-one sessions gave me a chance to ask any
questions outside of lectures.

"The Placement Centre was also great. They were heavily involved
in securing my placement — helping me identify an industry I was
interested in and prepare for interviews, and giving me some tips
on time management."

Finding the right placement

"My placement with GE was in Commercial Finance — working with
the sales teams to forecast performance and profit margins, and
analyse what these things could mean for the wider business.

"A lot of the areas I was involved with were familiar to me from
my course, so I had a head start on some of the other interns. I
understood the concepts and could have a well-balanced conversation
about them with the finance managers at GE. Thanks to that
foundation, I secured employment with GE for when I graduated — and
I could return to my studies in my third year stress free."

Graduation, and beyond

"I took a lot back to UWE Bristol when I returned for my third
year. My work ethic and time management skills had definitely
improved, and I had a working knowledge of a lot of the subjects we
covered — I based my dissertation on GE and stock prices so I could
draw a lot from my time there.

"After graduation I went back to GE on the Financial Management
Program — working in the UK, Germany and Italy. After that, I moved
onto the Corporate Audit Staff scheme, working in the US with GE’s
Audit department, and I’m now part of the Procurement team."

"My Accounting and Finance degree has given me a strong
background in business, and a deep understanding that I can apply
in the workplace."